This invention relates to a parking meter and, in particular to an improved design for the parking meter housing.
A typical parking meter is mounted on a metal stanchion or post which is, in turn, located on a street or parking lot in proximity to on or more parking spaces. The parking meter consists of a housing which will typically have an upper housing portion which is used for enclosing a parking meter mechanism and which will include means for accepting payment, recording the time purchased and displaying the parking time remaining.
Particularly because the payment method often includes negotiable coins and tokens, it is necessary to provide security for minimizing break-ins and to also minimize the possibility of that the housing could be separated from the stanchion and stolen. High security locks, cast iron housings and high security coin boxes are among the proposals for achieving this end. Nevertheless, there is a continuing need for improvements in this area.
Independent of this need, it is desirable to provide a meter housing which permits adequate visibility for the parker and for law enforcement officers. Often in a desire to enhance the security of the meter the visibility can be sacrificed, for example, where the design of the means for attachment of the meter housing to a stanchion restricts the manner in which the meter can be positioned relative to a parking space.
Also independent of the need for security, there is a desire to protect coin boxes and other meter parts from the elements, for example water which could enter the housing during a rainstorm. Drainage openings can be provided for this purpose but this can result in more opportunity for prying the housing off of the stanchion and this results in a compromise of the security features of the meter.
In accordance with this invention, a meter housing design has been designed which greatly improves the security of the meter. In particular, the meter housing is adapted to be mounted on a stanchion in a manner which provides a very high degree of resistance to removal by unauthorized persons. The mounting means comprises a tubular lower end of the housing which serves as a shield positioned around a tubular upper end of the stanchion. A fitting is positioned within the stanchion and diametrically aligned openings, preferably two aligned pairs offset by 90 degrees, are provided in each of the fitting and stanchion upper end with high strength pins are located in the openings to secure the respective components.
The lower end of the housing is attached to the fitting by means of a washer and bolt combination with the bolt extending down into the stanchion. The connection of the upper housing is also achieved by means of gear teeth formed in the upper end of the fitting and in the lower end of the housing. The complementary gear teeth secure the housing against twisting relative to the stanchion for added security. In addition, this feature permits the location of the housing at a variety of angles relative to the stanchion. Accordingly, the meter accommodates various configurations of parking spaces and permits maximum versatility with respect to convenience for viewing by both the driver of the vehicle using the space and law enforcement personnel.
In addition to the security and versatility referred to, the described arrangement provides for protection against the accumulation of water from rainfall or the like within the housing. Thus, the washer and bolt arrangement and the housing interface with the stanchion allows for drainage from within the housing to the exterior of the stanchion without compromising the secure attachment of the housing to the meter.